Is DTD a "must do"on an average length trip (week long) with 3 kids?

[disneyinfebruary]

Is DTD a must do on an average length trip (week long) with 3 kids ages 4-9?

We've only been to Disney one other time 5 years ago when we only had 2 young girls and a shorter trip so we didn't go.
We are returning in November, for 7 nights at Poly with 3 kids now. We are thinking 1 day AK, 1 day in EPcot, 1 day in HS, 2 days in MK, 1 day to rest and do MVMCP at night.

I'm debating if on our last day (flight home is 7:30pm) if spending it in DTD is a good use of the time or if I should plan another 1/2 day at a favorite park (thereby maybe being able to rest/pool an extra 1/2 day earlier in week) I think id rather spend our last day at a park but I don't know when else I could fit in DTD during the other days. I read there's a lot of construction so I'm wondering if we should just skip it? Or should we make time for it?
Also wondering if we should make time to walk the boardwalk area?

Thank you!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Haven't seen the boardwalk area. Downtown Disney is never a must do for us. We do DTD when it fits into our trip easily, but we would not be sad to miss it. The marketplace does have all the merchandise condensed and we like to go and pick out an ornament at the Christmas Shoppe. We don't particularly like WPE or Earl of Sandwich.

I would never cut park time to do DTD personally, but it might be nice on your rest day.

 

[Lori74]

we like dtd, but my kids are older. i do think there are some things your children might enjoy. the lego store is pretty cool and the kids could definitely spend a lot of time playing with legos. t-rex is pretty fun. to eat at and just to visit the gift shop. there's a little play area outside (to dig for bones). the world of disney store is quite something to walk through. rainforest cafe's gift shop is fun, and the aquarium is fun to look at. we were there a year ago and i didn't think the construction was too hindering. but i can't speak for now. i believe there's also a carousel and a little train to ride, but not sure if it's still there...you can also ride the boats to different resorts and check them out. we've never been to boardwalk, so i can't speak for that. have a great time!

 

[leebee]

DTD (soon to be Disney Springs) is pretty much a giant shopping center, in my family's opinion. Last time I was there was 4 years ago, even though we've had 3 trips since then. There are a couple of decent restaurants, but if I had young kids and it was my last day, I'd be in a theme park. We are not shoppers in my family and are easily bored by browsing through stores.

Same with the Boardwalk, and we enjoy the Boardwalk. There used to be a LOT to see there, as there was a one man band, marionette shows, face painting, hair wrapping, surrey bikes to ride, etc. Now? Not so much. The Boardwalk has pretty much been another victim of Disney's bean counters. Don't get me wrong- it's a lovely stroll around a lake, and you can get some yummy sweets at Boardwalk Bakery or ice cream at Beaches 'n Cream, but the Boardwalk now is a shadow of its former self. Once again, I'd be in a theme park if it was our last day, although I'd pick the Boardwalk over DTD (and probably ride the boat loop over to DHS and Epcot, just to stay busy).

 

[vinotinto]

We've gone to DTD to have a meal, usually a late lunch after a water park or after a morning in the parks. There are some interesting restaurants in DTD. We usually swing by Lego store and the kids love it - there are big bins of legos they can fiddle with. I would not go out of my way to go there as it's not a full day thing. More like a 2-3 hour thing. Haven't been there in two years, so not sure where they are with construction.

 

[disnut1149]

We were there in August at night and it was so crowded. I'll only go back during the day to get lunch and shop a little on the Marketplace Side. The Westside was wall to wall people. I think spending time at a park or just relaxing at your resort would be more fun.

 

[mom2rtk]

Skip it. It's a shopping/dining district in great disarray right now. And honestly, the merchandise there isn't that different from anything you'll find in the parks.

Definitely pick up another half day in the parks, including 3 additional FP picks.

 

[luvallprincesses]

Nope. Definitely not a must do on a week trip unless you're going for a meal. It's glorified shopping otherwise.

 

[disnut8]

The good thing about Downtown Disney is you don't have to fit it into your plans. You can go when and if you have time. With the ages of your kids, I would try for a plan free vacation as much as possible.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

For us, it is a must do each trip. We don't spend a full day there, but a few hours at least. The Lego store with the big sculptures and play area out back is still a hit, even though boys are older now. (I do have one LEGO fanatic in the family though!) We love the Christmas shop and Goofy's Candy shop--absolute must-dos each time. World of Disney has everything you can imagine in one spot and the toy store is lots of fun just to browse. My guys are also pin traders and could spend quite a while in the pin shop there.

Honestly, we used to do it on our last day and found now we'd rather do it during the week some time. Thing with doing it last day is that anything you buy you have to make sure you can pack before heading to the airport, which means planning to leave enough room in a carry on. Just found I'd rather have the stuff in the room with me when I'm packing up the last day so I know what I'm dealing with. Also means I can have stuff shipped back to the resort instead of carrying it around DTD while we continue shopping.

So at some point during the week, we plan on being at DTD at 10 when the stores open, spend a few hours, have lunch. Then we're ready for a park for the late afternoon/evening. Even better now that you can have FPs already planned for that evening. And to us, this is kind of a down day since we don't have to be up super early for rope drop.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We travel with young children, adults, and grandparents, and for us, it has never been a must do. We have been a few times, and it can be a nice place to spend a couple of hours if you are just looking for something to do, but not a must. It is a lot like most major shopping areas in the country, so if you are not big shoppers (and we are not), it does not seem as special as many of the things at Disney. We are going for our next trip, but only because we are staying at POFQ and the boats are super convenient, and because we are using our free passes to Disney Quest (and it is closing soon, so not much longer to do this). Otherwise, we would not go.

 

[scoobygrl79]

No way is it a must do. However, we have never skipped it, therefore, I'm a hypocrite.

 

[cjparker0110]

Is it a must do? No. We went there in 95, 98, 06 and 07. I remember those first couple of times being in awe. But after that, it did nothing for me. There are some cool stores and nice restaurants there, but I don't think there is anything that is a must do.

Lego store? It's great! But we have one near us. Yes, they have cool Lego structures, so does ours.

Christmas store? If you're into it, go for it. But isn't there one in the Magic Kingdom?

Candy store? Same thing. I've got a candy store in the mall here. It's got all the old time candy that you could care for, and most of the new stuff.

Restaurants? World class. So are the ones in the park.

I remember they had a 2 story music store, not sure if it's still there now. If it is, it's great if you are looking for obscure stuff. They also had a movie theater. Why bother? You're at Disney World!

That said, you probably should just look at what they have to offer and see if it is something that would really be appreciated or if another day in the park would be better. I agree that if you do go, do it midweek rather than the last day so you don't have to try to figure out your luggage (which would already be packed anyway?)

 

[Julylady]

We go to Downtown Disney about once every three trips. Definitely not a must do. What is a must do is to give the kids time to shop for their souvenirs without hurrying them off to the next thing. That can happen at World of Disney, but can also happen at Mouse Gears or the Emporium.

We were at DD once during the construction and it was not fun. We won't go back until it's conpletly finished.

 

[GreatLakes]

I do DTD every trip. It is usually either on a non-park day or on a day when we leave a park early. We like a few of the restaurants and usually do all of our shopping for gifts to bring back for friends and family there.

Whether or not it is a must do for you depends on if you want to do any of the shopping or hit one of the restaurants.

 

[loves to dive]

We don't go very often, getting there and back are such a pain and I've yet to find a good way unless you are staying at one of the resorts with the boat that goes there. We used to go on our off day when resort hopping, but we've visited all the resorts on the boat route so not so much any more. Be prepared if you do go, there is a lot of construction and if you take one of the Disney buses there will be a long wait and it will make multiple stops. If you drive, traffic is a bear.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I haven't been to DTD since 2008 and we only went because we were visiting family and they wanted to take us for the evening.

To me it's just a big shopping area. When my kids are in the parks they don't ask for many souvenirs because they are busy riding rides and being entertained. If I were to go to DTD I would constantly be asked "buy me this please" because they'd be a bit bored.

 

[KingLlama]

We've built an evening at DTD into each of our four previous WDW trips. But that's primarily because we do in winter, and AK closes at 5:00 p.m., and it's too cold to go back and swim(at least, it has been for us).

We park-hop so much that having a night just to stroll around with the kids(my two are both under 11), not worry about lines and show times, and enjoy a nice dinner and some shopping has been great. It's also where much of our souvenir shopping has taken place(especially at World of Disney), since we'd just be carrying the stuff back to the room instead of lugging it around the parks or buying a locker to store it in.

I completely get why people wouldn't want to spend any vacation time there and would rather use that for park time, but for us, it's been a nice break.

 

[Disnsyncey]

we ended up there on night 4 of our 6 day trip last year because, well.....we were bored.......we said "why not?" haha

 

[BabyHabs]

I love DTD, but my family does not. I always get all my souvenirs there and gifts for other people. My kids love the lego store and Rainforest Cafe is a must on all my trips. I could spend half a day there, but always rushed through by my family.